The invention relates to the performance management of a telecommunications network. Such management is very important to ensure that corrective actions are taken when necessary and so that network design can be improved according to usage and performance.
At present, performance management generally involves periodic data capture, and subsequent analysis of the data. The data tends to be captured in very large volumes and in a raw state which is of relatively little benefit to the network manager.
Some improvements have been made and, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,488,715 (Wainwright). In this specification, historical traffic data is utilised for dynamic and trend analysis. The data flows into an interface module and is reformatted by a data format module for input into a relational database. However, there are limitations imposed by the latency associated with the performance data. Also, processing delays can arise in the data format module as a network grows and traffic increases. It must be remembered that the quantities of data involved are huge. U.S. Pat. No. 5,537,611 (Rajagopal) mentions the objective of receiving real time performance data. However, there is little detail as to how this can be achieved.
The invention is therefore directed towards providing a telecommunications performance management system which:
provides selected performance views as required at any particular time by a network manager, and
provides this information in real time.
In this specification, xe2x80x9creal timexe2x80x9d means that the activities of the system have a temporal meaning. The time at which activities are complete is important. Typically, these temporal constraints are expressed as deadlines.
According to the invention, there is provided a telecommunications performance management system comprising:
a performance agent comprising means for processing, analyzing end abstracting performance data captured from a traffic machine (TM), and
a user interface connected to the agent.
A traffic machine is that part of a network resource which is dedicated to handling of network traffic.
Preferably, the system comprises a plurality of agents connected in a hierarchial manner.
In one embodiment, each agent comprises means for transmitting performance data to a supra agent after performing, processing, analyzing and extracting operations to effectively filter the data.
In one embodiment the operations performed by an individual agent are set by subscription signals which are received from supra performance agents and/or external control systems.
The subscription signal sets the required level of processing in a flexible manner. For example, there may be a large degree of filtering at a low level in the hierarchy, depending on user requirements at particular locations.
It will be appreciated that because the agents are distributed in a hierarchy, the capacity of the management system can be scaled to meet the managed network raw data output and the activities can be distributed in a flexible manner.
Preferably the performance agent incorporates means for processing a priority indicator to assign a relative importance for each subscription.
Preferably each subscription incorporates a delivery deadline.
Ideally each agent incorporates means for dynamically altering the subscription delivery deadline to subordinate agents.
Preferably, performance data is transmitted with event signals transmitted up through the hierarchy from agent to agent.
Ideally performance data is transmitted up through the hierarchy with event signals,
Preferably performance data is transmitted with an event data real time deadline.
In a preferred arrangement the management system incorporates means for identifying a performance data characteristic associated with the performance data and processing said data in accordance with the real time deadline.
Preferably, each agent comprises a database and means for storing data for later analysis where this is required.
Preferably each agent comprises an analyzer having means for calculating metrics determining severity of exceptions, comparing metrics against thresholds, analyzing trends, and correlating exception events and performance data.
Preferably each agent incorporates means for assigning a reliability value to received data in response to the output of the analyzer. Preferably each agent incorporates prioritising means for assigning a relative weighted characteristic for subordinate performance agents. Preferably each agent comprises a filter for filtering received event information based on a set of rules set up by the subscription handler. Preferably the system further comprises a management information repository for storing models of the system, managed resources, definition of performance metrics and event data. Preferably the management information repository incorporates means for dynamically updating said models of the system, managed resources and event data.
Preferably a telecommunications performance management system comprising:
a performance agent comprising means for processing, analyzing and abstracting performance data captured from a traffic machine,
a user interface connected to the agent; and
means for controlling the managed system by receiving real time performance information from the performance agent.
Preferably the controller incorporates means for directing a subscription to a performance agent.
According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a telecommunications management system comprising a hierarchy of interconnected performance agents having a user interface connected to at least one performance agent and each performance agent comprising:
means for processing, analyzing and abstracting performance data captured from a traffic machine;
means for transmitting the performance data to a supra agent; and
means for receiving a subscription from a supra agent to determine a mode of operation.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for managing the performance of a telecommunications system comprising the steps of:
capturing performance data from a traffic machine of the telecommunications system by a performance agent; and
processing, analyzing and abstracting the performance data in the performance agent to control operation of the telecommunications system.
Preferably, the step of capturing performance data further comprises the steps of:
retrieving raw traffic data produced by the traffic machine in response to traffic handling;
transmitting the retrieved data over a high speed interface to a filter; and
filtering selected portions of the raw data before re-formatting the filtered raw data to produce performance data relating to the telecommunications system.
Ideally, the method further comprises the steps of:
assigning a weighting factor to a metric component of the performance data to produce weighted performance data; and
communicating the weighted performance data to a supra agent.
Preferably, the method further comprises the steps of:
calculating performance statistics in the performance agent; and
upon receipt of a request from a connected performance agent, transmitting the performance statistics to the connected performance agent.
In one embodiments the performance agent conducts the steps of:
retrieving interaction information from a local memory to set an activity requirement for the performance agent; and
upon receipt of a subscription from a supra agent updating the interaction information to change the activity requirement for the performance agent.
Preferably, the performance agent conducts the further step of identifying a priority indicator and a delivery deadline associated with the subscription and assigning a relative importance to the subscription.
Preferably, the performance agent performs the step of dynamically altering the subscription delivery deadline and transmitting the subscription with the altered delivery deadline to a subordinate performance agent.
Preferably, the method further comprises the step of transmitting performance data up through a hierarchy of performance agents with event signals having an event data real time deadline.
Ideally, a supra agent receiving the event signals performs the steps of:
identifying a performance data characteristic from the performance data; and
processing said data in accordance with the received real time deadline.